The Santorini Hot Springs!
In June 2015, I travelled to Greece with my parents where we visited Athens, Mykonos, Paros and Santorini. Of all the islands, Santorini was by far my favourite. The piercing blue water, white buildings with blue roofs were exactly what I thought Santorini would look like. Santorini is situated on the Aegean Sea, which measures around 215,000 square kilometers, reaching maximum depths of over 3,500 metres!
We decided to take a day trip to the Santorini Hot Springs which is nestled in the island of Nea Kameni (a volcanic island!) Did you know that the hot springs remains "hot" because of constant volcanic activity keeping the temperature between 30 and 35 degrees Celsius? Pretty cool! Oh and the last eruption was in the 1950's, so only 60 years ago! I remember the water being so freshing, salty, making my hair feel so smooth!
I believe it is important to include storytelling and ocean science, specifically for the Santorini Hot Springs, because it represents a piece of Greece's history and highlights multiple health benefits of the therapeutic waters. I learned that the hot springs contains iron and manganese which is proven to be beneficial for many chronic health conditions in elderly people.
An Ocean Storytelling Showcase submission by Krystyna Makris